


the lights are out

by Lil_Redhead



Series: Mini CS One shots [5]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Camelot, Canon Divergence, Captain Swan - Freeform, F/M, Post 5x04
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-10
Updated: 2016-09-10
Packaged: 2018-08-14 06:25:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,719
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8001841
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lil_Redhead/pseuds/Lil_Redhead
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hook is feeling hopeless in the quest to save Emma. Sensing his pain, Emma comes to spend some time in this company.  Based on the song Shadow by Courtney Govan</p>
            </blockquote>





	the lights are out

Nights like these reminded Killian of the long hours he spent alone in his cabin watching the shadows waltz across the walls. He could picture the darkness that shrouded his living space progressively becoming more formidable as wax dripped away from his candle. His only light source squandering away. His quarters in King Arthur’s castle were not much different.

The torches on the wall fluttered periodically, a cathartic sight that sent warmth down Killian’s nerves. At his loneliest, these shadows had followed him. In his darkest hours, traces of the silhouettes still lingered around. They were evidence that he was still alive in his solitude.

Now that he had left his days of revenge and isolation behind, they offered little consolation. It was not for lack of trying, he noticed. Each of the shadows on the wall jumped about, aching to catch the pirate’s eye, but his mind was clouded with something that felt like the heaviest weight he had ever had to carry. 

The shadows could distract the man when his heart ached for the salvation of his love.

Emma was the Dark One, and as much as he hoped he had some sort of miraculous answer that would bring her back to him, it was never that easy. 

Which is why he was pouring through books now. The darkness nipped at him, seductive teeth imploring him to give into the darkness. A simple sword to the king’s throat and Killian could gain the answers he was tired of waiting for. But waiting a few more hours for the sun to rise was a small price to pay to keep supporting Emma. To encourage her to stay on her path the way they always did for each other. 

Ruffling his hair with his hand, Killian stared at the inky, meaningless words. All these books were getting him nowhere. They all said the same thing. The only way to stop the Dark One was to use the dagger. The only way to defeat the darkness was to permanently destroy it, including its host. 

Killian would use his very last thread of energy before letting someone destroy Emma.

“I know sailors are early risers, but this is early, even for you,” a soft voice came from behind him. The sides of Killian’s lips twitched. He knew exactly who it was. His arms opened as he turned around, and Emma walked into them. “I had a feeling you were still awake. Figured I’d check on you.” 

He was still sitting as they embraced, nuzzling his nose into her stomach, pulling her closer with tight arms around her waist. A sigh escaped his lips as her fingers combed through his hair. The touches began working away the stresses in his muscles, each careful scratch against his scalp brought its own relieving chills. He was clay in her hands, waiting to be molded and held, crafted into something she could be proud of.

“You are heaven sent, my love,” he murmured, voice heavy with emotion. Moments like these, Killian felt safe dropping his own walls. If two hundred years of living taught him anything, it was that vulnerability was not weakness. It was strength, healing, the one-way path to finding redemption and happiness.

“I’m sure there are some that would disagree.” Emma replied, chuckling at the irony of it all. The Dark One being heaven sent. “I know this whole ordeal hasn’t been easy on you. Just when you finally decided to leave the darkness behind you, I put you in a relationship with it.” 

Killian tugged on Emma’s arm, pulling her down into his lap. He used his hooked arm to support her upright, his right hand caressing her cheek.

“If you had a cold, you wouldn’t say you put me in a relationship with the cold. This darkness is just a disease we must work to rid you of. The real you,  _ my  _ Emma, is still here, right now with me. We’ll figure this out.”

Emma’s warm smile faltered, not because she doubted him, but because she didn’t have the faith in herself Killian was begging her to have. Noticing her hope stagger, Killian pressed her knuckles to his lips and said, “Trust me.” 

And she did. Gods knew she did. She trusted him with seeing the vulnerable version of herself that wasn’t protected by sky high walls. She trusted him enough to have faith in the possibility of their future together. 

But for as much as Killian took care of her, how much was he actually looking after himself?

Here he was, in the dead of night tearing through books that contained even the slightest mention of the darkness in hopes of finding some  _ hint  _ of an answer. Heavy dark circles were beginning to form underneath his eyes. A glint dulled in his pupils, a sign that the burden on his shoulders was beginning to wear his resolve down to slivers. 

“You’ve always had my trust,” Emma said. “Now give me yours.”

Rising from his lap, Emma grabbed Killian’s hook and pulled him up. He said nothing, staring at her with loving faith in his eyes. 

“You need to sleep,” she told him, brushing her lips to his. His head leaned in, aching to kiss her for real, but she moved away before he could. She didn’t stray far, though. With a gentle touch, Emma was pulling off Killian’s jacket. For a moment she admired the craftsmanship of the leather, the red detailing that matched the color of her own jacket.

“What are you doing?” Killian asked through the lump in his throat. With the jacket removed, Emma smoothed her hands over his back muscles, causing an audible exhale into the cool air.

“Taking care of you,” she replied simply. Emma repeated the same procedure, moving to stand in front of him where the buttons of his vest were waiting to be undone. Articles of clothing were unbuttoned and removed one at a time, first his vest, then his shirt. With a flourish of her hand, Emma was summoning a pair of soft cotton sleeping pants, ones that seemed more promising in terms of comfort compared to the tight leather pants. 

At the use of her magic, Killian frowned. 

“Light magic,” Emma promised. “Like you said, the real me is still here. Magic, onion ring cravings and all.” 

A chuckle vibrated under Emma’s hand that combed through his chest hair. She handed him the pants, but neither of them moved. 

“I can, um, look away...if you want?” Killian blinked a few times, only hearing the suggestion after a few seconds of processing it. His gaze dropped to the pants in his hand, and his eyebrows shot up like he was realizing something. 

“That’s not it, love,” he said. Another chuckle danced to her ears like music. “I was just wondering what I did to deserve such a wonderful woman. It seems I forgot myself for a moment. I could never be shy in front of you.”

As he changed, he felt Emma watching him from her new spot lying in his bed. Not with lust, but in a way that mirrored the enamored expression he had glowed with earlier. Just as she felt that he needed her, he was able to feel with that same connection that Emma had three simple words on the tip of her tongue. Words that she’d spoken to him only once before. Words that he’d nearly confessed to her on more than one occasion. They were overwhelming, so strong that he almost blurted them in return to her, right then, right there.  _ I love you.  _

His heart said them loud enough for her to hear, because her gaze softened and her lips lifted upwards. She knew. And it was enough. 

He slid into bed, his heart feeling lighter than it had since that bloody dagger fell onto the cold pavement. The shadows on the walls had slowed their jestful dance to a reverent sway, the torchlight succumbing to the urge to become embers. 

If Killian felt lost just moments before Emma arrived, now he was even more lost. Lost in her, in loving her, in being with her. But through it all, she led him through the sea like a bright lighthouse, emanating golden light to lead her sailor back home to her.

Emma waited for him, sitting up against the bedframe. When he was beside her, she patted her lap and offered him a gentle smile. She couldn’t sleep, but being with him while he did would be enough. He needed rest. She needed the warmth of his embrace. 

Supporting his weight on an elbow, the pirate leaned up and pressed his lips to hers. For real this time, the kind of kiss that made his heart race but his mind relax. When they drifted apart, they lingered close to one another with smiles on their lips.

Killian laid flat on his stomach, arms stretching to hold his love at her waist. He dug his head into her chest between her breast, and murmured something incoherent in appreciation. It wasn’t often they slept like this, with her holding him, but it wasn’t unpleasant. Far from, actually. Emma was glad to note that he looked comfortable, genuinely comfortable. 

She lulled him to sleep by running her fingernails across his back. Every few minutes she would press a kiss to the top of his head, content for the first time in days. Maybe she needed this just as much as he did.

By then, the torches on the wall had gone out, the moon the sole source of light. No more shadows on the wall. No more demons in her head. No more fears for the future. Just hope, just the loving warmth of the other’s embrace. They were each other’s shadows, a sign the other would never be alone. 

In his sleep Killian sighed a word that sounded like her name, a prayer on lips. 

She loved this man, and there was no doubt that he loved her. At that moment she decided one thing, one sure thing. 

Whatever price fate would make her pay to be with this man, she would pay it. She knew it in her heart. They were meant to be together, and she would never stop fighting for them. 


End file.
